Reviews

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 21-30 of 79 Reviews
Mike S   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: Jun 16, 2019

Email Mike S  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Great, simple safari experience with Tony and team!
5/5

Being my first time on safari, I have nothing to compare it against, but Tony and team's 6 day/5 night safari experience was a fantastic one. A great local business you should support versus the fancy lodges that I doubt are locally owned.

Tony communicates with his guests over WhatsApp and email, and is incredibly responsive overall. Tough to set your expectations ahead of time regardless. However, know that you are in good hands, as Tony and team ran a strong operation. He has different tiers of accommodation for his nightly camping, I would just make sure you choose the best unless you are willing to sacrifice things like your own "en-suite" bathroom next to your tent. The tent and adjoining bathroom area were surprisingly nice, and the sleeping arrangement of an inflatable mattress was more comfortable than I thought. Everything from the sleeping bags and pillows seemed to be of quality and clean despite it being used for camping. They had an overhead hanging bucket for the occasional shower as well.

The food that Tony's staff cooked was really good given that we were camping, and it is impressive what they can do. Breakfast typically included cereals and omelettes for example, among other things. Lunch and dinner were all good meals with meat, starches, and vegetables. Safe to say, we never went hungry.

Botswana's safari scene is uniquely abundant with wildlife, and I believe you typically get to see a lot more here than in South Africa for example. I will not give specifics to get your hopes up, but we saw way more than I ever thought (went in May), and we saw those animals in somewhat unique situations (hunting, drinking water, etc.). Our tour went through the parks/reserves of Chobe, Savuti, and Moremi (with only 6 days, Moremi is a bit rushed, would recommend the extra day if offered). Tony's open car allowed for great views, and our small group of 3 people was a great amount for everyone to have easy viewing ability. Tony has a strong ability to track animals using their prints, whichmade for some additional viewings that some of the fancy lodges did not get to see even. Tony is clearly good at what he does, is quite funny, and his passion for the wildlife and photography is obvious. Just someone whose business you absolutely must support as he is into this for all the right reasons.

Some things to consider are that the post-lunch break is sometimes long (though this seems common in the Botswana safari world), so you should bring some activity to do for sure, and use that downtime effectively, unless he considers shortening the break in the future. Also, Tony is not always the most transparent about what animals he sees or what the schedule looks like, so you have to be willing to go with the flow a bit. But I promise you that he has your best interests, and he put on a great tour for us. Botswana is also not well-connected with modern (paved) roads, and there ends up being lots of driving in the 4x4 on sand/dirt roads that are common in the country's parks. So, having patience while being in transit is important to understand. Though the travel time was notable, there was still a ton of time to see the animals in the parks/reserves, and the value of a camping tour with Tony and team is incredible compared to the expensive lodges in the parks.

As long as you can handle the experience of camping (of which I would consider this somewhat more luxurious than typical camping), this safari experience should easily be your top choice.

Caroline   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: Jun 16, 2019

Email Caroline  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Six day tour from Kasane to Maun: Excellent safari, fantastic guide, comfortable tents
5/5

My partner and I decided to book this safari after seeing so many positive reviews, and also knowing that it is a local company with experienced guides. It was an incredible six day trip! From the start, Tony was always available to answer questions via email and then more easily WhatsApp (and I had a lot of questions!!). Make sure to ask exactly what you are booking - for example, we had the luxury experience, with large tents and ensuite bathrooms (meaning you could easily go at night). We slept on cots with warm sleeping bags and real pillows, plus they also had a small table in our two person tent. Everything was clean and comfortable - I truly slept well every night. As for the safari, we went from Kasane to Maun, with two nights in Chobe, two nights in Savuti (my favorite) and one night in Moremi. On the days where you didn't move locations, you did a long morning drive starting at 6:30 or 7, lasting until nearly lunchtime. Then you took a long mid-day break, so make sure to pack some games or books, or this is a good time to take advantage of the showers they provide (just ask them to prep the water). Finally, you go out for another drive at around 4pm, but this only goes until sunset since you can't be out after dark. On the days you are changing locations, you are in the car all day - a game drive in the morning, then driving 4-6 hours to get to the next park (stopping for picnic lunch), then when you arrive you immediately start a game drive. The road is almost never paved and VERY bumpy, so you're in for a wild ride, and we were never bored! We traveled in May so make sure to pack warm clothes for sleeping, and the mornings can feel very cold when you're driving in open air, so pack hats and gloves. During the day, it was in the 80s, but you are shaded in the car so it never felt really hot. Tony himself is super funny and kept us laughing, but most importantly he is really good at tracking the animals. He was the one to find certain animals first in several cases, including when we found a pride of lions attacking cape buffalo. And since he's a photographer, he really dedicated time to see and learn about the animals and their behavior. He is very passionate about his work and it shows. His team (Eddie and Ben) were so friendly and I'm very impressed by the delicious food they cooked, including meat stews, pastas and vegetables. If I had one piece of advice, I would say that the tour is very chill, and sometimes the plans will change, or timing won't be exact. But everything was great in the end, so we have no complaints, and in fact would recommend this tour over other (more expensive) versions!

Miriam   –  
United States US
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: Jun 9, 2019

Email Miriam  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

One of the best week’s of our lives
5/5

Our week of camping safari with Vincent as our guide was extraordinary. He has an uncanny ability to find wild animals, and tremendous knowledge about them. He is also kind, funny, relaxed and so competent to manage any situation in the bush. The camping is real tent camping, but the crew does all of the work. It was relaxing and very comfortable for us, and you just can’t compete with evenings of star gazing and nights of listening to a lion roar or
Hyenas making their strange call. We were fortunate to see an incredible variety of animals and birds, many very close by. We came upon a pride of lions that had just killed a young zebra, and they were so exhausted that they lay panting for a long time before the dominant female started to eat. So many elephants (and the babies!!!), zebra, impala, wildebeest...you name it, we saw it! And one more thing: our luggage was lost on our way into the country. Tony and his team worked incredibly hard to locate the luggage, and finally took us shopping for necessities when we could not locate our bags. And two days after we started our safari, all of a sudden two members of Tony’s crew showed up with our missing luggage, after driving for many hours to catch up with us! You can’t beat that kind of service, and yet you won’t find a more economical Botswana safari than this one. Thank you Vincent, Tony, and crew!

Adrian @addremove   –  
Bulgaria BG
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: May 27, 2019

Email Adrian @addremove  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

It was amazing adventure! Definitely recommend Tony Mobile Safari! Great staff and safari!
5/5

It was great bush experience for us!!! Before the safari everything was super easy, communication (via WhatsApp), money transfer and arrangement of everything else! What was promised by Tony it was done! He even arranged transportation for us from Livingstone, which was super convenient for us! Everything and everyone was on time! We spent 5 days, 4 nights camping in bush private safari! What an unforgettable and breathtaking experience! Definitely recommend it! Vincent our animal tracker was great, showed us so many animals and told us interesting facts about them! Also he told us a lot of thing about Botswana, which was interesting to know! Jackie is the best cook ever, food was sooo tasty! And Steve who was taking care of all the equipment was super funny, always with a smile on his face! Amazing team was taking care of us during those 5 day!!! Book with Tony Mobile Safari, don't think twice!!!

Chiara   –  
Zambia ZM
Visited: May 2019 Reviewed: May 11, 2019

Email Chiara  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Top experience and best staff
5/5

We made one over night safari with Tony. Everything was very well organized, the camp, food, the drive and the boat cruise! The staff was very competent, polite, friendly and helpful! We highly recommend this agency.

Romane   –  
France FR
Visited: April 2019 Reviewed: May 5, 2019

Email Romane  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Amazing
5/5

Tony gave us the best way to discover Botswana ! We saw everything you can see in the Busch!
The camp and the food was just perfect !
If you want to spend some times close to the nature it s the best option!
Highly recommanded !!

James   –  
Belgium BE
Visited: April 2019 Reviewed: Apr 25, 2019

Email James

Awesome
5/5

Fantastic company. Tony is a true Gent. A great guy and he and his team go the extra mile. We were with two small kids who still talk about it now. I honestly can't recommend these guys highly enough.

Prosenjit Soren   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: December 2018 Reviewed: Apr 7, 2019

Email Prosenjit Soren  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Tony Mobile Safari is the best budget Safari you will get
5/5

I would recommend everyone to choose Tony Mobile Safari.

We had great experience. The tour guide (Vincent ) was extremely helpful and supportive.

We have visited:

Monali Pathak   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: December 2018 Reviewed: Jan 29, 2019

Email Monali Pathak  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Tony's team gave the lifetime experience in our Botswana safari
5/5

Vincent from Tony's team was our guide during the safari. His sense of spotting animals is bang on.Tony's team took utmost care of our food and stay. Getting such lip smacking food in the bush that some someone can never dream of. They gave us the best Christmas dinner and lunch ever.
The safari experience was a lifetime experience.We spotted all the animals we were expecting in the safari with some bonus of watching a pride of lions feasting on an elephant, we saw a pride of lions charging an elephant and an antelope. The experience in the camp at night was thrilling. If you are planning a bush camping in Botswana, Tony and his team is the best you can opt for.

Leon and Sandra   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: January 2019 Reviewed: Jan 27, 2019

Email Leon and Sandra  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Amazing safari experience
5/5

What a fantastic experience with Tony and crew. Amazing, smoothly run operation with personal service and attention to detail. Looking forward to our next experience with this team.

Average User Rating
5.0/5
Rating Breakdown
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